The complicated love life of Thailand's new king

When you rule a country in which it is illegal to criticise the royal family, you can pretty much do what you like, which seems to go some way to explaining the behaviour of Thailand's King Vajiralongkorn.

The royal has had several relationships including four wives and seven children.

Now, royal consort Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, 34, has been stripped of her official titles, seemingly the latest victim in what is a very complicated love life.

Here's how it all unfolded.

Ascension to the throne

King Vajiralongkorn ascended the throne in 2016 following the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

He is the only son of King Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit and as is the law in Thailand, only males become the head of state and head of the ruling Royal House.

King Vajiralongkorn officially ascended the throne in 2019. (Wikipedia)

After his father's death on October 13, 2016, King Vajiralongkorn ask for time to mourn before taking the throne.

He accepted the throne on the night of December 1, 2016, with his coronation taking from 4-6 of May, 2019.

His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn together with his father, the Late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. (Supplied)

The Thai government retroactively declared his reign to have begun on October 13, 2016, the time of his father's death.

King Vajiralongkorn is the tenth monarch of the Chakri dynasty. At the age of 64, he is the oldest Thai monarch to ascend the throne.

First marriage: First cousin Soamsawali Kityakara

When he was still Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn the Thai married for the first time on January 3, 1977. He wed Princess Soamsawali Kitiyakara, his first cousin on his mother's side. The couple had one daughter - Princess Bajrakitiyabha.

Princess Soamsawali Kitiyakara, former wife of her first cousin King Vajiralongkorn. (Supplied/Wikipedia)

Soon after his daughter's birth, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn began living with actress Yuvadhida Polpraserth. They had five children, and were unable to wed when Princess Soamsawali refused to agree to a divorce.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha is the eldest daughter of the King and is described as a 'diplomat'. (Supplied)

Vajiralongkorn was able to sue for divorce in the Family Court in January 1993. During the proceedings he accused his then-wife of being at fault for the failed relationship and she was unable to refute the charges due to Thailand law which forbids criticism of the royal family.

Princess Soamsawali and her daughter continue to participate in royal ceremonies.

Second marriage: Former actress Yuvadhida Polpraserth

Vajiralongkorn and Polpraserth were married at a palace ceremony in February, 1994, where they were blessed by the Princess Mother but not by the Queen.

After the marriage the former actress changed her name to Mom Sujarinee Mahidol na Ayudhaya, signifying she was a commoner married to royalty.

'Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn began living with actress Yuvadhida Polpraserth in 1994.' (Supplied)

At first things seemed okay, however in 1996 after only two years of marriage she moved to Britain with all of her children. Vajiralongkorn allegedly put up posters around his palace, accusing her of committing adultery with an air marshal.

The Crown Prince later reportedly abducted his daughter and brought her back to Thaliand to live with him, elevating her to the rank of princess, and stripped Sujarinee and her sons of their diplomatic passports and royal titles.

Sujarinee moved to the US in 2007.

Third marriage: Former servant Srirasmi Suwadee

On February 10, 2001, Vajiralongkorn married for a third time, this time to Srirasmi Suwadee who had been in his service since 1992. The marriage was not revealed to the public until early 2005.

Srirasmi Suwadee became Vijiralongkorn's third wife. (Wikipedia)

The couple had a son - Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, on April 29, 2005. It was then that Suwadee was elevated to the rank of princess.

All seemed well until November 2014 when Vajiralongkorn sent a letter to the interior ministry asking for Princess Srirasmi's family to be stripped of their royal titles, accusing seven of her relatives of corruption.

Sirasmi reliquished her royal titles and the royal name and the couple official divorced after 13 years of marriage.

She received a 200 million baht (AUD $9,620,306.10) settlement.

Fourth marriage: Former acting commander Suthida Tidjai

King Vajiralongkorn married Suthida Tidjai, former acting comander of Royal Thai Aide-de-Camp Department, on May 1, 2019. Two months later, the king bestowed the title of "chao Khun Phra" or Royal Noble consort to Major General Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, making the first official naming of a secondary consort for nearly a century.

Suthida Tidjai is the king's latest wife, having wed earlier this year. (Wikipedia/Supplied)

This week, Wongvajirapakdi was stripped of her titles after being accused of disloyalty and attempting to sabotage Queen Tidjai, although the true cause may never been known.

Thailand is known for it's secrecy when it comes to palace affairs.

It isn't yet known if the move is permanent and what will become of Wongvajirapakdi, although it is likely she will attempt to leave the country as insults to the monarchy are forbidden and the enforcing of this among the strictest in the world.

Conflict between the women

Queen Suthida, 41, was romantically linked to the King for years before their relationship was made public in 2019. She was made High Lady in 2017 ahead of becoming Queen this year.

This is sure to have upset Wongvajirapakdi who may have wished to marry the king.

The photo of Sineenat in a crop top crashed the Thai palace website. (THAILAND'S ROYAL OFFICE)

Suthida used to work as a flight attendant for Thai Airways and entered the royal army in 2013 before being appointed as deputy commander of King Vajiralongkorn's bodyguard unit, being made a full general in December 2016, deputy commander of the king's personal guard in 2017 and then Queen in 2019.

Her background is similar to Wongvajirapakdi who has worked as a pilot, nurse and bodyguard, having trained with the Thai Air Force in 2018.

Sineenat is a former army nurse and served as the King's bodyguard for a time. (THAILAND'S ROYAL OFFICE)

She also trained as an army nurse, graduating from the Royal Thai Army Nursing College at the age of 23. After working as a nurse from 2008 to 2012, she joined the Royal Household Bureau as a staff member in the palace's handicraft store.

Wongvajirapakdi served in the king's royal bodyguard unit and was awarded the rank of major general in May ahead of her appointment to the royal household.

It is thought that when King Vajiralongkorn asked for time to grieve his father's death before ascending the throne between 2016 and 2019, he was making the difficult choice as who to make queen.

Who could succeed the King of Thailand

King Vajiralongkorn has seven children and is able to choose his own successor, even a female successor, although he has disowned four sons from his second marriage in 1997.

The children of King Vajiralongkorn. (Wikipedia)

Once again, he has the power to restore their royal ranks if he wishes, although that will be difficult since they were banished from Thailand to live in Britain and then the US.

Legal restrictions when it comes to discussing royals in Thailand

In Thailand, criticism of members of the royal household, even their pets, is strictly prohibited. There are large fines and prison sentences of up to 35 years that can be imposed.

However King Vajiralongkorn's complicated private life has been on the receiving end of some carefully negative discussions among the country's residence, although not publicly.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida wave to an audience from the balcony of the palace. (AP/AAP)

In January 2002, the Far Eastern Economic Review questioned the king's business ties with then-Prime Minister Taksin Shinawatra, and the publication was immediately banned by the government citing a threat to national security.

Also in 2002, The Economist wrote that King Vajiralongkorn is held in much less esteem than his father whom he succeeded.

This issue of The Economist was then banned in Thailand.

In 2010, another issue of the publication stated that King Vajiralongkorn is "widely loathed and feared" due to his behaviour which they claimed is "unpredictable to the point of eccentricity".

Online journal Asia Sentinel stated that he is "erratic and virtually incapable of ruling".

Thailand's population can no longer access Asia Sentinel online.

In November 2009, a home video released to WikiLeaks showed the Vajaralongkorn dressed casually and then-Princess Suwadee wearing only a g-string being attended to by formally dressed servants for the birthday of one of their poodles.

Part of this video was broadcast by Australia's Foreign Correspondent on the ABC as part of a half hour documentary criticising the royal family of Thailand.

In January 2009, Harry Nicolaides, an Australian national, was sentenced to three years in prison for self-publishing a fictional book that was deemed to violate Thailand's royal family, in particular a passage that described a prince who, when he falls in love with his minor wives and she betrays him, will disappear along with her family and any trace of her existence.

Harry Nicolaides following his royal pardon in 2009. (AAP)

Nicolaides was later pardoned after making it clear it was a work of fiction.

Financial troubles

In August, 2011, the German judicial authorities in Munich impounded a Boeing 737, one of two owned by Vajiralongkorn, claiming the Thai government owned millions on the aircraft.

The German company, Don Mueang Tollway, was later declared bankrupt, with authorities representing the corporations interest saying the company's decision to impounded the plane was their final attempt to seek payment.

The Thai government allegedly never responded to demands for payment.

Vajiralongkorn later announced he would pay the amount himself, however the Thai foreign minister later said the Thai government would make the payment after all.

In November 2016, Manager Magazine published a report claiming the new king could be hit with an inheritance bill in excess of €3.5 billion (AUD $5,679,438,009.00).